Santiam Heritage Foundation recently received enough grant monies to complete the restoration and rehabilitation of the Brown House Event Center.
“We’ve received funding from many organizations over the nearly 20 years,” said Steve Poisson, vice-president of the board of trustees. “Most recently, we’ve received significant funding for various projects from the Oregon Community Foundation, the Ford Family Foundation, Pacific Power Foundation, SCTC, the Kinsman Foundation, and the City of Stayton.”
Cost of the restoration is about $500,000, some of which was used to complete a portion of the Victorian-style home built by Charles and Martha Brown in 1903.
“Most of the first floor is completed and available for rentals, which happen sporadically, and we hope will pick up,” Poisson said. “On the second floor, electrical work is complete, and the woodwork has been stripped and restored to match the first-floor woodwork. Work still to complete includes plaster work on the walls and ceilings of the second-floor three rooms and hallway, priming and painting all walls and ceilings, installation of light fixtures, installation of a hand washing sink, and refinishing the wood floors.”
The project began when a group of community members formed the Santiam Heritage Foundation as a nonprofit in 2000 to preserve the historic home.
“They felt Stayton had lost too many historic buildings, and they were determined not to lose this one,” said Wendy Stone, board president. The Brown House was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
After purchasing the house, the roof had to first be stabilized, the wraparound porch had to be completely recreated, and most of the interior woodwork had to be stripped of paint which had been applied to make cleaning easier when the house was used as Stayton’s hospital in the 1920s and 1930s.
“The house didn’t even have a heat source until 2012!” Stone said. “As the hospital additions to the house were removed, the original green color that is on the house today was discovered. With today’s technology, we were able to match the color with certainty, something we could not have done using the only old photos we had, since they were all black and white or sepia toned.”
After rehabilitation is complete, an opening will be held for the community to view the entire house as it might have looked when Charles and Martha Brown built in in 1903, Stone said.
“SHF was fortunate to have had the youngest Brown child still alive when we began this journey, and she was instrumental in helping us know things like the fact that the walls were not originally wallpapered,” she added.
Stone said SHF has “never gone into debt to bring this lovely lady back to her glory.
“The board is ecstatic to be closing in on completing restoration and excited for the next phase, which will be to use the house for community events and educational programs,” she added. “For the Brown House, it means the fulfillment of the dreams of those who started the project 20 years ago. We feel we have been successful stewards of their vision. For the community, it means a unique, character-filled venue for private and cultural events – a major asset for our small town.”
SHF appreciates the community support given for the past 20 years, members agree.
“Some of the most instrumental people have not lived long enough to see us reach this finish line,” Stone said. “In particular, Ernst and Lee Lau were early and determined members of SHF. Others have moved away from the area. But, if we have contact information for those folks, we will invite them to the grand opening.”
Funds will still be needed to operate and provide programming, including Victorian teas, concerts, Ghost Tour and Chocolate Walk, and archiving collections to begin education programs.
To donate or for more information, visit brownhouse.org.
